Brown was selected out of Louisiana Tech University with the 29th overall pick in the second round of the 1992 NBA draft by the New Jersey Nets.

However, he elected to play in the 1992–93 HEBA A1 season in his first year out of college and averaged 17.0 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game for Panionios B.C.

[3] Miami had made the playoffs the previous year led by all-star center Alonzo Mourning, point guard Tim Hardaway and head coach Pat Riley, who decided to start Brown for 71 games in the 1996–97 season.

Brown increased his shooting percentage and rebounding, received the J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award and was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team as the Heat won a franchise best 61 games and the Atlantic Division Title.

In that game, Brown was attempting to establish rebounding position with Knicks point guard Charlie Ward before lifting and flipping him onto a row of photographers along the baseline, leading to a brawl between the teams.

Starting in all 74 games in which he appeared, Brown posted nearly identical production in the 1997–98 season as the Heat once again entered the playoffs but came up short in a five-game first round loss against New York .

Brown's role continued in the 1999–2000 season, and the Heat would win in the first round against the Detroit Pistons before facing the Knicks for the fourth straight year.

On August 1, 2000, Brown, alongside Jamal Mashburn, Otis Thorpe, Tim James and Rodney Buford, was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in exchange for Eddie Jones, Anthony Mason, Dale Ellis and Ricky Davis.

On July 13, 2006, Brown was traded by the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets along with J. R. Smith to the Chicago Bulls in exchange for Tyson Chandler.

[9][8] His decision to come to Boston was strongly aided by a conversation with future teammates Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, who convinced him to sign with the Celtics during the 2008 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Brown had an unexpected breakout performance which took place in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Cleveland Cavaliers on May 18, 2008, when he scored 10 points and pulled down 6 rebounds, hitting all of his four shots and making key contributions in the fourth quarter.